


I'm Here

by rook_fern



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brotherly Thor, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, One Shot, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Protective Thor, Psychological Torture, Thor Is a Good Bro, Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-13 19:49:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12991257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rook_fern/pseuds/rook_fern
Summary: Finally, it's Thor's turn to say those words.





	I'm Here

**Author's Note:**

> First off, first time writing in this fandom and first time writing these characters. Characterization may be a little wonky.
> 
> I "dreamt" this scenario early this morning and couldn't get it out of my head. It ended up being much longer than I intended.

The prison was massive, nothing more than rows and rows and rows of cold gray cells. They stretched upwards until the shadows swallowed them, and only the pained screams that fell from above told that the ceiling reached much farther than the eye could perceive.

Thor stalked down the empty corridors, trying to keep his footfalls as light as possible. The prison was lightly guarded because who in their right mind would try to stage a jailbreak against the Mad Titan? Not that Thor was in his right mind by any means. Loki had saved him and their people while he himself had been captured by Thanos, and it had taken Thor weeks to track down where the titan was keeping his brother. There was no way in hell he was leaving Loki behind.

A guard—chitauri by the looks of it beneath all the armor—clanked with heavy boots down the hall of cells. Thor dove into an alcove and pressed himself flat behind an adjacent wall; with luck, he was out of the guard’s sight. The energy field that made up a prison buzzed close to his arm, and the inmate that called the cell home eyed him warily. Thankfully, they had the kindness not to alarm the guard, or they didn’t have the voice to call out. Whatever the reason, Thor gave them a quick nod and waited for the guard to pass.

Once the clanking sound had muted with distance, Thor emerged from his hiding place. Somewhere on the other side of the prison, Korg and Miek were creating a disturbance to draw the guards—a riot of some sorts. Thor had tried to leave the duo safely behind, but Korg had insisted that they accompany him as a repayment for helping him with his revolution.

As planned, the sounds of shouting and the clang of weapons began far down in the shadows of the prison. Thor was forced to duck into hiding again as a troop of guards ran towards the fight. Undoubtedly, there were still a few milling about, but at least most of them were occupied. Stepping out of the darkness of the overhang, Thor grumbled to himself. He hated stealthing about; up front confrontations were his thing. Sneaking and diversions were up Loki’s alley, not his.

He had to be getting close by now. The prison was horribly organized, and the sorting system for the prisoners was atrocious and downright painful to try and understand. Still, Thor had been able to glean (or rather, beat it out of an unfortunate guard) that his brother was being kept in the high-risk part of the enclosure. Thanos’s personal favorites, the guard had called them.

Finally, Thor came upon the “important” prisoners. The cells were a stark white and sparsely decorated, much nicer and cleaner than the rest of the prison. Still, the paleness and bright lights were almost blinding, and no noises rang from the cells. Many of the chambers Thor passed were empty. Whether their inhabitants had been killed or they simply hadn’t been acquired yet, Thor couldn’t tell. The few beings that could be spotted through the glare of the energy shield looked knackered and bruised. Broken.

A lump grew in Thor’s throat. The light beat down on him, seeming largely oppressive and claustrophobic at the same time. There were no guards in sight, and Thor wondered if luck was actually acting in his favor.

Rounding a corner, Thor saw him. He had the grandest—if such a place could be called grand—cell, one furnished with a small bed, a few chairs, and a side table. Loki was sprawled on the bed, his face turned towards the pale ceiling and his hands folded languidly across his chest.

Thor rushed towards the cell, no longer caring if any guards saw him. He rapped a fist on the energy field once he reached it; the barrier pulsed beneath his touch. “Loki!” He bellowed, giving the shield a harsher pounding.

Loki’s head turned and his eyes settled on his brother. They were dull and emotionless. Loki’s expression didn’t fluctuate from its stoic mask. With his brother’s face turned towards him, Thor was able to make out the deep bruising across Loki’s cheekbone and the sallow gash near his jawline. The sight of injuries made a cold fear settle in his stomach, not because of the wound itself. No—Thor knew the Mad Titan would have tortured and punished Loki; it scared him because Loki was making no effort to cover the cuts and bruises. His brother made a point to always appear in power—to appear as though he had complete control of the situation. It was blatant that Loki no longer felt that way.

“Loki…” Thor knocked his fist against the energy shield again, but his voice was softer this time. Beating against the barrier was having no effect, nor would it ever. To the side of the cell, Thor spied a control panel that probably turned the barrier on and off. “I’ll get you out of there, Loki.” He promised before starting on the panel. Confusing symbols blinked back up at him, and on a guess, he pressed one of them. Nothing happened. A grimace passed Thor’s face, and he jabbed another symbol. Still, nothing happened.

Before he could try a third button, a sharp shout sounded at the end of the hall. A guard had returned from whatever riot Korg had caused. They hollored something in an unknown tongue, likely telling Thor to step away from the panel and surrender. That was what they usually said, wasn’t it? Thor had hoped to get in and out with as little fighting as possible, but of course, that wasn’t going to happen. Sighing, he drew out the plasma pistol he had brought with him. It was no Mjolnir, but it would do against a couple of guards—and it was a couple of guards now; while the first had been shouting at him, three more appeared from around the corner.

Two guards rushed at him while the other two wisely hung back. The first crumpled with a shot to the abdomen, their armor falling apart like wet paper. The second darted in close, wielding some sort of electric spear. They jabbed at Thor, but he struck them across the face with the butt of his gun. With a sickening crunch, the second guard fell. The other two seemed more hesitant to engage him at that point. Not wasting a moment, Thor dispatched them with two shots; they collapsed to the floor with smoking holes in their breastplates.

Turning back to the panel, Thor decided to hell with it. He could press symbols all day. It would be his luck to press an alarm that would set the whole place crawling with guards. So he leveled his pistol and fired a single bolt at the control panel. It sparked with electricity but otherwise remained unchanged. Frustration was blazing in Thor’s chest, and he sent a furtive glance at his brother. Loki had sat up on the bed and was watching him with slightly more interest; his listless eyes drifted from Thor to Thor’s left, as though he could see something Thor could not. Curious, Thor turned, and panic flooded his limbs when he came face to face with a guard that was nearly upon him.

Adrenaline spiked his actions, and he aimed a clumsy blow at the guard. The creature stumbled back, clutching their shoulder. They straightened and renewed their efforts; a knife glinted in their grasp, mostly concealed by their gloved hands. For a moment, Thor and the guard were locked together. The guard was too close for Thor to fire at them cleanly, and Thor was strong enough to keep the blade at bay.

A thought crossed Thor’s mind, something Loki had taught him when they were kids. Sometimes, a little bit of pain could lead to a greater victory. And if his opponent believed they were winning the struggle, they would get sloppier.

Thor relaxed his defending arm a little, and the guard, surprised at the give, relaxed their grip as well. The knife, before aimed at his collarbone, went sideways and skidded across his shoulder. A burning started in the wound, and Thor gritted his teeth against the pain. The tip of the knife dug into his skin a little, but with the guard’s arm relaxed, he was able to knock the weapon away and dispose of the creature.

His cut hurt something fierce, but Thor shouldered the pain and turned his attention back to the panel. It had stopped spitting sparks and was simply smoking. In desperation, he gave it another two shots. The electronics fizzled and rent the air with a low whine, but the energy field slowly began to melt away.

Thor waited impatiently for the shield to fade out of sight before stepping into Loki’s cell. His brother had risen during his confrontation with the knife-wielding guard; his expression had morphed from its blank state to one of disbelief tinged with hope.

“That’s not—brother?” Loki’s voice was hoarse and despondent. Thor took a step towards him, and in turn, Loki took a step back, skittish like a wild animal. “How?”

A frown flickered across Thor’s face. “Loki—” Noises from the corridor distracted him, and he looked away from his brother. He relaxed when he faintly made out Korg and Miek’s voices chattering away.

Thor started when something small plinked him in the back. Turning back to Loki, he watched as a button struck the floor and rolled away under the bed.

“You’re… here.” Loki’s voice warbled, cracking at the end. His brow furrowed, as if the two words weren’t meant to be put together. He took a cautious step toward Thor; it was measured, like he expected Thor to disappear at any moment. Loki’s fingers met his arm, and they were cold and pallor against his own blood-flecked skin.

Thor straightened in surprise when Loki wrapped him tightly in a hug and buried his face in his neck. Swallowing thickly, Thor returned the embrace with warmth. He made no comment when Loki’s shoulders began to shake softly and his collar grew wet. He only gripped his brother tighter and rumbled, “I’m here…”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-shot and probably won't be continued/expanded upon. I may do more work with these characters in the future if it gets enough demand and love.
> 
> I love reading comments! I may not get the chance to respond to them all, but I enjoy reading them, and they always make me smile.


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